When most home owners summon up images of a water pipe leak the first thing they think about is the results of a line that has gotten too cold and frozen. While this does happen, it really does not happen that frequently. Most leaking pipes are caused from incorrectly applied fittings, worn or loose fittings, poor workmanship and sometimes a tiny bit of bad luck.
Damaged water pipes are the second highest cause for damage to houses across the US, in the amount of claims and the number of overall claims. When a line starts to leak it can often take anywhere from a week to several years to discover it. In this time many things can happen. Mold can form, rot can set in and insects and other foreign things can be drawn inside your home. It is possible to handle all these issues if you work with real professionals
Many of these items bring down the value of any home, and may cause some people to become ill as well. This is why these issues should be corrected when it is discovered to begin with and never take the wait and see approach. Using this approach things often get much worse in time, and will generally cost even more to correct. If you find something early your repair could be simple to do.
Fixing water lines are never as basic as using a simple chart of steps going from start to finish. At times it may be trial and error until you find what happens to work out best. The essential thing is to never give up and know that you are doing a temporary fix that will not hold for an extended length of time.
Before you get out your solder and torch, there are a few basic fixes anyone can attempt. Always check to make sure the water supply is off completely and the supply is no longer under any pressure before starting any repair. This means you find the supply valve and close it than open up any fixture to release excess pressure.
One of the most basic ways to mend a low pressure lines is wrapping them with electrical or duct tape. Check that the line is totally dry. Begin by winding it with the tape to the side of the leak. Keep winding it working diagonally across until you are well past the leak. Build the layers up until it is sealed. Turn your line back on, checking if the problem is now solved.
Another quick fix is using epoxy. Make sure your line is dry. Clean the pipe with steel wool or sandpaper. Mix up the epoxy and apply it to the line over the leak. Before testing it wait for the epoxy to completely cure.
Some people have luck using hose clamps or pipe clamps. After cleaning the pipes, wrap a piece of rubber pad over the leaking area. Depending on the size of the line, apply either pipe clamps or hose clamps until they are tight. Make sure your water pipe leak has stopped.
It happens sometimes that damaged water pipes can cause a huge problem if you cannot stop running water in time.